Ultra-Low Flow Agricultural Pump with Unobstructed Flow Path and Electronic Flow Control, Tank Refill Indication, and Detection of Loss of Flow

ABSTRACT

A harvester has an operator cab, a motor, a carriage driven by the motor, a crop cutter and collector, a processing body, and an ultra-low flow agricultural forage preservative applicator system for applying a biological solution to forage during harvesting. The forage preservative applicator has a biological solution reservoir, a flush reservoir, a peristaltic pump, a valve operative to either couple the pump with the biological solution or the flush solution, and a dispensing tube, where the biological fluid containing pathways are of functionally like cross-section in the region between the biological solution reservoir outlet and the dispensing tube outlet. A flow detector which does not obstruct the fluid pathway is provided to monitor biological solution flow rate, and a moisture detector and harvest rate detector may be used for automatic control. A method of use is also disclosed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent applicationSer. No. 61/294,803 filed on Jan. 13, 2010 of like title andinventorship, the contents and teachings which are incorporated hereinby reference in entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to motorized harvesters withcrop conditioner means, and more particularly to a harvester-supportedultra-low flow forage applicator that provides forage preservatives toforage during harvester operation.

2. Description of the Related Art

The way forage is harvested and stored determines how well the qualityof the crop is preserved. Large quantities of water must be passivelyremoved from cut forage during field-curing of hay. For each ton of 12percent moisture hay produced, approximately 1.7 and 2.2 tons of wateris removed from the fresh herbage of grasses and legumes, respectively.Grain silage may likewise be treated and preserved often times at highermoisture contents.

Preservatives applied at harvest will reduce storage losses from molds,bacteria, and fungi when the forage is put up at higher moisturecontents. There are many types of forage preservatives with variouseffects. The various products can be grouped, for exemplary purposes,into the five following categories: organic chemicals, inorganicchemicals, biologicals, nutrients, and non-specified additiveingredients.

Of these five categories, biological preservatives are of the mostinterest with regard to the present invention. Biological preservativesmay be comprised of either or both bacterial inoculants and enzymes.Bacterial inoculants such as lactobacilli and pediococcus have beenproven to be safe and non-toxic while delivering improved dry matterretention, improved protein retention, stability and animal acceptance,while remaining cost-effective. Inoculation of forage material withdesirable acid-producing bacteria helps to initiate a rapid fermentationand sustain a rapid fall in pH of silage. In forage this effect is knownto reduce the harmful effects of mold and yeast. In crops that arewilted, and water-soluble carbohydrates are not a problem, research hasshown that the use of lactic acid bacteria is a cost-effective means ofimproving fermentation. Lactic acid bacteria produce both acetate andlactate under low oxygen conditions, which inhibits yeast. The pH leveldrops quickly, viable counts of yeast and mold are reduced, and theresulting product is very stable.

Enzymes, which for exemplary purposes only and not limiting thereto maycomprise cellulose and amylose, have also been proven to be safe andnon-toxic while delivering improved dry matter retention, improvedprotein retention, stability and animal acceptance, while remainingcost-effective. These enzymes promote plant cell breakdown and renderthe cellulose and starch more accessible to desirable bacteria.

A variety of biological compositions suitable for forage applicationsare commercially available, and are illustrated for exemplary purposesin U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,494 to King and European published application EP0 834 259 to Moran, each assigned to Ecosyl and incorporated herein byreference in entirety for their content and teachings. In spite of theexistence and availability of these commercial products, themicrobiological compositions are known to be very sensitive. They may bedestroyed by sudden pressure changes, are very sensitive to temperatureand pH, and can readily clog in smaller cross-sectional flow paths.

Forage preservative applicators have been in use for years. Conventionalpreservative applicators are comprised of a relatively large tank (25 to100+ gallons), a pressure pump fluidly connected to the tank, pressuregauges and regulators fluidly connected to the pressure pump, and spraynozzles fluidly connected to the pressure pump for dispersing thepreservative. These commercial applicators were designed to applychemical preservatives rather than biological preservatives.

When using a conventional forage preservative applicator to apply abiological preservative, several problems are encountered. Withconventional preservative applicators, the reservoirs often times exceed50 gallons. In contrast to most chemical preservatives, biologicalpreservatives generally have a short window of time within which theymay be prepared and applied, meaning too large a batch will result insubstantial losses of preservative. Since the cost of biologicalpreservatives is high, this is very undesirable. In addition, the highvolume of application used for chemical preservatives is not well suitedto the extremely low volumes used with biological preservatives. Thehigh volumes are generally also associated with high pressure pumps.This increased pressure can damage or kill the bacteria in an inoculant.Consequently, while these devices may be suitable for chemicalapplication, they are not suitable for efficiently and accuratelyproviding biological forage preservatives to forage during harvesting.

More recent applicators have been developed that are much more suitablefor use with biological preservatives. One such system is illustrated inU.S. Pat. No. 6,443,369 by the present inventor, the contents andteachings which are incorporated herein by reference in entirety. Thatsystem provides improved application over those of the prior art, butrelies upon close user supervision, accurate prediction of cropcharacteristics, and proper system maintenance. While such system workswell for conscientious operators, the present invention seeks to offerthe same and additional benefits, while reducing the requirements placedupon the operator.

In addition to the aforementioned patents, Webster's New UniversalUnabridged Dictionary, Second Edition copyright 1983, is incorporatedherein by reference in entirety for the definitions of words and termsused herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first manifestation, the invention is a motorized harvesteroperative to harvest a crop and condition the crop during harvest with abiological preservative. The harvester has an operator cab;

a motor; a carriage driven by said motor; a crop cutter and collector; aprocessing body; and a forage preservative applicator system operativelysupported by the carriage. In the forage preservative applicator system,a first reservoir stores a volume of biological solution, and a secondreservoir stores a flush solution. An ultra-low flow pump, such as aperistaltic pump, is fluidly coupled through a valve to either thebiological solution reservoir or the flush reservoir. A dispensing tubefluidly couples the pump outlet to a forage applicator outlet thatdispenses the biological solution into the forage being harvested. Aflow detector is provided to monitor biological solution flow rate.

In a second manifestation, the invention is an ultra-low flowagricultural forage preservative applicator system for applying abiological solution to forage during harvesting. A reservoir stores avolume of biological solution. A pump is fluidly coupled to thebiological solution reservoir. A dispensing tube fluidly couples thepump outlet to a forage applicator outlet that dispenses the biologicalsolution into the forage being harvested. A flow detector is provided tomonitor biological solution flow rate. A biological fluid pathwayextending between a biological solution reservoir outlet and adispensing tube outlet is of functionally equal cross-section entirelythroughout, resulting in an unobstructed flow path and avoidingpotential clogging.

In a third manifestation, the invention is a method of applying anagricultural forage preservative to forage during operation of aharvester. According to the method, a reservoir is filled with abiological solution having bacterial inoculants. A rate of harvest bysaid harvester is detected, and biological solution is drawn from thereservoir by a pump and pumped to an outlet adjacent the forage. A flowof the biological solution from reservoir to forage is detected, and theoutput of the pump is controlled responsive to rate of harvest.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention solve inadequacies of theprior art by providing a biological solution reservoir, a flushreservoir, a peristaltic pump, a valve operative to either couple thepump with the biological solution or the flush solution, and adispensing tube, where the biological fluid containing pathways are offunctionally like cross-section in the region between the biologicalsolution reservoir outlet and the dispensing tube outlet. A flowdetector is provided to monitor biological solution flow rate, and amoisture detector and harvest rate detector may be used for automaticcontrol.

A first object of the invention is to provide a forage preservativeapplicator system having an ultra-low flow rate. A second object of theinvention is to preserve the viability of a biological foragepreservative during application to forage. Another object of the presentinvention is to provide an unobstructed flow path for the biologicalforage preservative during application to forage. A further object ofthe invention is to readily enable the biological forage preservative tobe flushed from the applicator after application to forage is complete.Yet another object of the present invention is to enable any remainingbiological forage preservative to be easily removed from harvesterequipment for refrigerated storage until next needed. A further objectof the invention is the enablement of reliable and semi-automatedcontrol of ultra-low-flow biological preservative application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, advantages, and novel features of thepresent invention can be understood and appreciated by reference to thefollowing detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment forage preservative applicatorsystem designed in accord with the teachings of the present invention infurther operative combination with a harvester from side view.

FIG. 2 illustrates the preferred embodiment forage preservativeapplicator system of FIG. 1 by schematic view.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate preferred embodiment coupling plates or facesfor the pump and pump motor, respectively, by bottom and top views,respectively.

FIG. 5 illustrates the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1-2 by functionaldiagram.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment semi-automatic balingapparatus by functional diagram.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In a most preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, a preferred harvesting apparatus 1 has, in combination, aharvester 2 and biological forage applicator apparatus 10. Harvester 2is illustrated herein for exemplary purposes only, the construction ofwhich is not critical to the present invention, and which may thereforedeviate from the illustration as is known in the industry where thereare many designs and types of harvesters. Harvester 2 may typicallycomprise an operator cab 3, a crop cutter 4, a processing body 5, and anejection chute 6. The preferred embodiment forage preservativeapplicator system 10 will most preferably be operatively supported uponharvester 2, and comprises a reservoir 20 for storing a volume ofbiological solution and a flow controlling apparatus 30. In addition,and independently of whether wirelessly or through wired connection, anoperator control panel 90 will be provided to permit a harvesteroperator to interface with forage preservative applicator system 10. Anoutput from flow controlling apparatus will be coupled to an appropriatelocation within harvester 2, as will be best determined by the specificconstruction of harvester 2. One such arrangement is illustrated in myU.S. Pat. No. 6,443,369, the contents and teachings which wereincorporated herein above by reference.

FIG. 2 illustrates the fluid flow paths of the preferred embodimentforage preservative applicator system 10 of FIG. 1 by schematic view. Aninlet 61 to valve 60, which in the preferred embodiment is electricallycontrolled, is fluidly connected to reservoir 20 through tubing 15. Aflush container 25 is preferably also fluidly connected to a secondinlet 62 to valve 60, which allows valve 60 to selectively controlwhether biological solution or flush solution is passed through outlet63 to pump 40. Subsequent to pump 40 is a dispensing tube 54, which ispreferably suitable for dispensing the biological solution into theforage being harvested. The details of this may be found in my U.S. Pat.No. 6,443,369, though it is noteworthy herein that this dispensing tubedoes not include any flow restrictors such as nozzles or otherapparatus. Instead, the entire fluid path from biological solutionreservoir 20 outlet to the outlet of dispensing tube 54 has afunctionally like cross-section, resulting in an unobstructed flow pathand avoiding potential clogging. While flow cross-sections may varyslightly at couplings or connectors and the like, there are no suddenand operatively significant or substantial diameter changes. Even withinpump head 48, which is preferably of the peristaltic type, the tubing isfully collapsed and slid to flow the biological solution in an adjacentand nearly full cross-sectional region. Consequently, the solution doesnot undergo sudden transitions during flow through differentcross-sectional areas.

A flow detector 50 having an inlet 51 and outlet 52 is preferablyprovided in-line between reservoir 20 and the outlet of dispensing tube54, to monitor flow rate there through, or to at least to detect ano-flow or under-flow event such as might occur with a hose rupture orpump 40 malfunction.

Apparatus such as an ice pack or other cooling or refrigeration deviceis preferably utilized within reservoir 20 to maintain the temperatureof a biological solution at the desired temperature, to thereby extendthe useful time of the solution. Reservoir 20 is additionally mostpreferably thermally insulated, such as through a layer of foamedpolyurethane, air gaps, or other suitable foamed or insulating materialsas might be commonly found in conventional coolers and the like. Whilenot separately illustrated, reservoir 20 may optionally incorporate afluid level detection device such as an ultrasonic detector, pressuresensor, or other apparatus to indicate fluid levels or the need forrefill. Most preferably, the fluid level detection device will mostpreferably be of a construction which requires no cleaning, and whichdoes not interfere with ordinary cleaning of the reservoir.

Flush container 25 is preferably capable of storing a volume of flushingfluid such as water, bleach solution or other agent for flushing thevarious tubing 15, flow detector 50, pump 40, and dispensing tube 54after usage thereof to reduce the buildup of bio-film from deadbiological or enzymatic matter or other residue. In accord with theobjectives of the present invention, this preferred embodiment foragepreservative applicator system 10 features: ultra-low flow; anunobstructed flow path; electronic flow control for high accuracy flowdetection; tank refill indication; detection of loss of flow; and remotesource switching, to enable flow path rinse.

In use, the operator fills reservoir 20 with a desired solution such asbacterial inoculants and enzymes. The operator may dilute the solutionwith water or other fluid if desired to achieve the desired rates ofapplication. The operator may then insert at least one ice pack into theinterior of the reservoir within the solution to help retain thetemperature of the solution at a relatively cool temperature relative tooutside of the reservoir, thereby extending the useful life of thebacteria and enzymes during warm periods of weather. The operator setsvalve 60 so that fluid flow from reservoir 20 is allowed. When harvester2 is in operation, the operator adjusts rate settings at console 90,which comprises an electronic controller unit, to in turn control theoutput of pump 40. The operator then initiates the system run, wherebythe controller unit closes a power switch or relay within control board95 to activate the pump. Pump 40 draws solution from within reservoir 20through tubing 15, valve 60, and flow detector 50 through to dispensingtube 54. From the outlet, the solution exits the distal end ofdispensing tube 54 for exemplary purposes onto the forage and cuttingassembly of harvester 2, where the solution is thoroughly mixed in withthe forage being chopped. If an increased rate of forage is run throughharvester 2, then console 90 is adjusted accordingly so that pump 40outputs an increased rate of the biological solution. If a lower rate offorage is run through harvester 2, then console 90 is adjustedaccordingly so that pump 40 outputs a decreased rate of solution. In thepreferred embodiment, reservoir 20 is insulated, and the temperaturewithin reservoir 20 and the solution held therein is retained at arelatively low temperature to extend the useful life of the biologicalingredients.

When the operator is finished operating harvester 2, the operator thenswitches valve 60 so that fluid from flush container 25 may enter inlet62, to pass to outlet 63, through pump 40 and dispensing tube 54. Flushcontainer 25 may contain water, bleach or other cleaning solution toclean and prevent the buildup of bio-film. For known commerciallyavailable solutions, this flush is critical to the maintenance of thesystem, since the biological materials may otherwise form a residue uponthe internal components. Since the system operates at minimal pressuresand flow rates to protect the integrity of the biological material, anyresidue will not easily be removed after it dries or adheres.

After flushing the system, the operator may preferably remove reservoir20 from harvesting implement by disconnecting tubing 15 and removing anyfasteners holding reservoir 20 to harvester 2. While some exemplaryfasteners are illustrated in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,369, other suitablemeans are contemplated herein and will be recognized by those skilled inthe art of hardware and fasteners. Reservoir 20 may then be placedwithin a cool structure such as a refrigerator. Another ice pack mayalso be added to the solution within the reservoir to assist inmaintaining the desired cool temperature of the solution. The operatorsimply reconnects the removed components when desired to operate theimplement again and repeats the above steps.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate in greater detail preferred embodiment couplingplates or faces 46 shown in FIG. 2 for motor 42 having a mounting shoe44 to couple to pump 48. The coupling plates 70, 80 provide an improvedmethod of connection between pump 48 and motor shoe 44 which allow forready removal and replacement. As shown in FIG. 3, pump coupling plate70 has a pair of slots 74, 76, each which have enlarged regions 75, 77respectively. These enlarged regions allow protrusions 84, 86 to passfreely through, and, upon rotation of motor plate 80, these protrusions84, 86 are securely held in the narrow portions of slots 74, 76. Groovesmay be provided to undercut the exposed faces of protrusions 84, 86which are small enough to fit within the narrowed regions, while thefaces of protrusions 84, 86 are somewhat larger to only pass through theenlarged regions 75, 77. Finally, a plunger 88 or other releasemechanisms as known from the hardware area, such as a spring pin or thelike, may be provided to engage in receiver 78 to prevent relativerotation between plates 70, 80.

Most preferably, console 90 controller operates in conjunction withperistaltic pump 48 and motor 42 to provide high accuracy flowdetection. This is achieved by using a motor having Hall Effect or otherRPM measuring or determining technology to monitor or accuratelycalculate the motor output shaft rotation rate, which is the rotationrate of pump 48. The output of a peristaltic pump may be accuratelypredicted in the present low-pressure system, based upon rotation rate.

Alternatively, a high accuracy flow detector may be used that determinesthe flow rate. In such instance, the pump rotation rate may bedisregarded, or may alternatively be used to compare to the expectedflow rate. In the event the flow rate calculated from the pump differsconsequentially from flow rate determined by the detector, an error orwarning may be generated. This could occur due to failure of the tubing,failure of the detector, lack of sufficient fluid in the reservoir, orfrom other predictable and unpredictable causes.

A preferred embodiment flow detector 50 in accord with the teachings ofthe present invention will preferably detect flow or loss thereof, andwill most preferably be a detector which preserves a relatively or evenpreferably completely unobstructed flow path. An in-line thermaldispersion device or thermal mass sensor has no moving parts exposed tothe biological solution, and can detect very minute flow rates. This isparticularly important for the low flow rates that the present inventionmay be designed to operated at. Such a device operates by measuring atemperature differential between an upstream heated temperature sensorand a downstream reference temperature sensor. When there is no flow,the temperature differential between heated and reference sensor isgreatest, and with greater flow, the temperature differential decreases.The heated and reference temperature sensors may be provided in the wallof the fluid path, and so may leave the fluid path completely open. Theremaining components of the preferred embodiment have likewise beendesigned and selected to avoid obstruction at low flow rate and to actcooperatively with biological solutions.

Reservoir tank 20 refill indication may additionally be calculated fromthe flow control determination, but may include additional sensing orverification from within the tank, preferably without requiringelectrical connection to the tank to permit ready removal, storage, andcleaning.

FIG. 5 illustrates a decision tree and control system functionally forthe operation through control panel 90, while FIG. 6 illustrates analternative embodiment apparatus by functional diagram.

In accord with the teachings of the present invention, a number of otherfeatures are contemplated herein. Among these are the full automation ofthe system through the incorporation of crop moisture content, harvestrate, and desired application rate. Equipment is known in the industryfor each of these functions, and the application to the presentinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

While the foregoing details what is felt to be the preferred embodimentof the invention, no material limitations to the scope of the claimedinvention are intended. Further, features and design alternatives thatwould be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art are considered tobe incorporated herein. The scope of the invention is set forth andparticularly described in the claims herein below.

1. A motorized harvester operative to harvest a crop and condition thecrop during harvest with a biological preservative, comprising: anoperator cab; a motor; a carriage driven by said motor; a crop cutterand collector; a processing body; and a forage preservative applicatorsystem operatively supported by said carriage, said forage preservativeapplicator system comprising: a first reservoir for storing a volume ofbiological solution; a second reservoir for storing a flush solution; anultra-low flow pump having an inlet and an outlet; a valve fluidlyconnected to said first and second reservoirs and said pump andoperative to selectively couple said pump in a first position to saidfirst reservoir and in a second position to said second reservoir; adispensing tube fluidly connected to said pump for dispensing saidbiological solution into the forage being harvested; and a flow detectorto monitor biological solution flow rate.
 2. The motorized harvester ofclaim 1, wherein said processing body is operative to perform at leastone operation selected from cutting and chopping.
 3. The motorizedharvester of claim 1, wherein said flow detector further comprises ameasurement of rotation rate of said pump.
 4. The motorized harvester ofclaim 1, wherein said flow detector is located in a biological fluidpath between said biological solution reservoir and an outlet of saiddispensing tube.
 5. The motorized harvester of claim 4, wherein saidflow detector is non-restrictive to said biological fluid path.
 6. Themotorized harvester of claim 1, wherein said flow detector furthercomprises a thermal mass flow sensor.
 7. The motorized harvester ofclaim 1, wherein a biological fluid pathway is of functionally equalcross-section entirely throughout a region between a biological solutionreservoir outlet and a dispensing tube outlet resulting in anunobstructed flow path and avoiding potential clogging.
 8. The motorizedharvester of claim 1, further comprising: a means to measure a harvestrate of said harvester; and a means to control biological solution flowrate responsive to said harvest rate measurement.
 9. The motorizedharvester of claim 1, wherein said pump further comprises a peristalticpump.
 10. The motorized harvester of claim 1, further comprising areservoir level detector having an output representative of a biologicalfluid level within said reservoir.
 11. The motorized harvester of claim10, further comprising a means to compare said reservoir level detectoroutput to a level calculated based upon an output from said flowdetector, and signal a discrepancy therebetween.
 12. An agriculturalforage preservative applicator system for delivering a biologicalsolution to forage during harvesting, while simultaneously extending theuseful life of the biological preservative solution, comprising: areservoir for storing a volume of biological solution; a pump having aninlet and an outlet; a dispensing tube fluidly connected to said pumpfor dispensing said biological solution into the forage being harvested;and a flow detector to monitor biological solution flow rate; wherein abiological fluid pathway extending between a biological solutionreservoir outlet and a dispensing tube outlet is of functionally equalcross-section entirely throughout, resulting in an unobstructed flowpath and avoiding potential clogging.
 13. The agricultural foragepreservative applicator system of claim 12, further comprising: a secondreservoir for storing a flush solution; and a valve fluidly connected tosaid first and second reservoirs and said pump and operative toselectively couple said pump in a first position to said first reservoirand in a second position to said second reservoir.
 14. The agriculturalforage preservative applicator system of claim 12, wherein said flowdetector further comprises a thermal mass flow sensor.
 15. Theagricultural forage preservative applicator system of claim 12, whereinsaid pump further comprises a peristaltic pump.
 16. The agriculturalforage preservative applicator system of claim 12, further comprising areservoir level detector having an output representative of a biologicalfluid level within said reservoir.
 17. The agricultural foragepreservative applicator system of claim 12, further comprising a meansto compare said reservoir level detector output to a level calculatedbased upon an output from said flow detector, and signal a discrepancytherebetween.
 18. A method of applying an agricultural foragepreservative to forage during operation of a harvester, comprising thesteps of: filling a reservoir with a biological solution havingbacterial inoculants; detecting a rate of harvest by said harvester;drawing biological solution from said reservoir by a pump and pumpingsaid solution to an outlet adjacent said forage; detecting a flow ofsaid biological solution from said reservoir to said forage; andcontrolling the output of said pump responsive to said rate of harvest.19. The method of applying an agricultural forage preservative to forageduring operation of a harvester of claim 18, further comprising thesteps of: stopping said harvester; stopping said pump; and passing aflush fluid from a flush fluid reservoir through said pump to saidoutlet adjacent said forage.
 20. The method of applying an agriculturalforage preservative to forage during operation of a harvester of claim18, further comprising the steps of: calculating a flow of biologicalsolution through said pump; comparing said calculated flow with saiddetected flow; and signaling an error when said calculated flow differsconsequentially from said detected flow.